System for photographically recording television programs



SePt- 28, 1954 P. H. BoUcHERoN, JR 2,690,472

SYSTEM FOR PHOTOGRAPHICALLY RECORDING TELEVISION PROGRAMS Filed DSG. 2l,1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 V 05 60g/V76? SHUNEE INVENTOR fmeron, JI:

Sept- 28, 1954 P. H. BQUCHERN, JR 2,690,472

SYSTEM FOR PHOTOGRAPHICALLY RECORDING TELEVISION PROGRAMS INVENTORPierre E alzceraJzQ/z:

' ATTORNEY Sept. 28, 1954 P. BoucHERoN, JR 2,690,472

SYSTEM FOR PHOTOGRAPHICALLY RECORDING TELEVISION PROGRAMS Filed Dec. 2l,1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Jlsrrej ailelm:

Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATE@ OFFICE SYSTEM FOR PHOTGRAPHICALLYRE- CORDHNG TELEVISION PROGRAMS corporation of Delaware ApplicationDecember 21, 1950, Serial No. 202,051

The terminal years of the term of the patent to be granted has beendisclaimed 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a system for making a photographic record of atelevision program. In particular, it relates to a type of systemwherein the photographic recording is made directly from the scene to betelevised.

In operating a television station, it is often necessary to obtain aphotographic recording of a program in order that reprints may be madeand distributed to other stations which cannot for one reason or anothercarry the live program. The most widely use-:l method of makingphotographic recordings of a television program is known as kinescoperecording wherein the photographic camera actually takes a picture ofthe images reproduced on a monitoring kinescope. When the recordingsmade in this way are used for transmission purposes, however, thequality of the images reproduced on television receivers indicatespossible grounds for improvement at the present state of the art.However, no noticeable degradation of the image is present when filmsare used which are direct recordings of the program. Therefore, betterrendering may be made if a photographic camera is mounted beside atelevision pick-up tube in each of the studio cameras so that they canmake direct recordings of the scenes as they appear at the pick-up tube.

The broad idea oi combining a photographic camera and a televisionpick-up tube to form a studio camera has been suggested. However, whenseveral studio cameras of the type noted above are used, the televisionpick-up tubes may run continuously, and there are outputs applied to thetransmitter by suitable switches. Thus a change from one pick-up tube toanother can be brought about instantaneously. However, in order toconserve iilm, the photographic cameras operate only when thecorresponding pick-up tube is connected to the transmitter. Due to themechanical inertia of the photographic cameras, it takes them a while tocome up to speed. Allowance must be made for this fact so that the filmrecording will conform exactly to the televised program.

It is therefore an object ci this invention to provide an improved meansfor switching from one studio camera to another, so that thephotographic recording in each studio camera coincides exactly with theimages reproduced by the respective television pick-up tubes.

Brieny, this objective may be obtained by delaying the energization ofthe television pick-up tube until the camera associated with the pick-uptube has come up to speed. in this way, the photographic recordingcoincides precisely with the program as picked up by the televisioncamera.

One of the ever present problems in making a photographic recording of atelevision program wherein one switches from one studio camera toanother is splicing the photographic recordings appearing on thedifferent cameras at the proper points. ln previously known systemswherein a television pick-up camera is employed with a photographicrecording camera, no means are provided for printing cueing signals orcueing indicia onto the various strips of lm, so that they may beidentified in the photographic processing room and spliced together inproper sequence.

Accordingly, it is another object of this invention to provide a meanswhereby cueing indicia is printed on the photographic recording of thetelevision program so as to indicate the proper sequence of a particularstrip of film with respect to the others.

Briefly, this objective is attained by exposing a portion of the iilm ineach photographic recording camera and sound recorder to light from acounter mechanism. Each of the counter mechanisms is advanced upon eachchange from one studio camera to another. Therefore, when the film inany one camera is being advanced, it will be exposed to light from thecounter and a number indicative of that particular lm sequence will beprinted on every frame of the lm and in the ensuing sequence.

It is the customary practice today to record the sound portion of atelevision program separately from the photographic portion. Therefore,the film on which the sound recording is made must also be synchronizedwith each of the photographic recordings. In fact this synchronizationmust be exact in order that the sounds produced may coincide with themotion of the objects producing them. For example, if a pistol is red,the shot should occur at the same time smoke emerges from the barrel ofthe gun. In making the sound recording, a plurality of microphones maybe employed, any number being connected to the sound recorder at anygiven time. Thus, a single sound recording lm may be produced. As thislm generally runs continuously, it is apparent that during switchingintervals from one studio camera to another that the sound lm willcontinue whereas the photographic recording is momentarily interrupted.Such discrepancies are not of much importance in and of themselves, buttheir accumulated effect may be quite serious at the end of a half-hourprogram where many switches are made from one studio camera to another.For this reason it is necessary that indicia be marked on the soundrecording lm, or other synchronous recording media, so that the soundstrip can be readily and properly aligned with the photographicrecording.

The manner in which the above objectives will be achieved in accordancewith the principles of this invention become more readily apparent froma consideration of the drawings in which:

Figure l illustrates in schematic form one type of switching system thatoperates in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 illustrates in schematic form how the cueing indicia are to berecorded on the sound lm and on the photographic lm in accordance withthe principles of this invention;

'Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View of a portion of a photographiccamera in which means are provided for recording cueing indicia on aportion of the lm;

Figures 4 and 4A are two views of one arrangement that may be employedin the sound recording for printing the proper cueing indicia under thesound nlm Figure 5 shows lmg on which the cueing indicia have beenrecorded after a switch from one studio camera to another;

Figure G illustrates apparatus for achieving proper focus of thephotographic optical system and the television pick-up tubes opticalsystem; and

Figure 7 illustrates the mechanism for operating the turret lenses of aphotographic camera and a television program in synchronism.

The overall system of film recording that is the subject of thisinvention is illustrated in Figure l. rThe upper portion of the drawingincludes a studio camera i, a studio camera 2, and a microphone 3 thatare usually found in the studio itself. The remaining equipmentillustrated in the lower portion of the drawing is normally located ineither the control room or the sound recording room as conveniencedictates.

Studio camera I is comprised of a photographic camera 4 and a televisionpick-up tube 6. Similarly, the studio camera 2 is comprised of aphotographic camera i and a television pick-up tube B. Each of thepick-up tubes is provided with sweep voltages and electrode potentialsfrom circuits included in the rectangles Si and IG respectively.

Images are provided to the lens i i of the photographic camera i and thelens I 2 of the television pick-up tube via an image splitter comprisedof a partially silvered mirror I3 and a fully silvered mirror illmounted with respect to the lenses II and I2 as shown. In order toprevent light from showing directly on the lenses, the mirror system isenclosed in a light-proof box i5 having an opening i5 therein that isopposite the partially silvered mirror i3. The mirrors I3 and I4 areparallel and form an angle of 45 with respect to the principal axes oftheir respective lenses II and I2. A similar arrangement is provided inthe studio camera 2, corresponding parts being indicated by lightnumerals primed. In this way the images impressed upon the photographiccameras and the television pick-up tubes are identical as the imagesplitter has overcome any paralax that normally exists when two lenssystems are mounted side by side.

Assume that the studio camera I is not active and that the director ofthe television program desires to switch to studio camera 2. Hedepresses the on-the-air button Ii that is associated with studio camera2 and holds it down until the light I8 is illuminated, The sequence ofoperations thus set in motion is as ioiio. s. It will be seen that oneside of the switch i? is connected via a lead I3 to a source of relaypower 2i; that the other side of the switch Il is connected to groundvia a lead 22 to the upper s' of parallel relay coils 23 and 2 that forma pic of a switch generally indicated iby the numeral 26A. The otherside of the relay coils s. are returned to ground. Therefore, theclosing of the on-the-air switch El energizes oth of the coils 23 and24. The relay .'A is immediately pulled down but the relay 26B is notvctiv ed until it overcomes the action of dash-pot El or other similartime delay relay.

Upon the closing of the relay 2SA, electric power is supplied from asource via lead 29 and the now closed contact 35 to the photographiccamera The mechanism in the camera then starts in operation and a frameor two of nlm in the camera I is exposed.

After the switch 25B is actuated, the video signals provided by thetelevision pick-up tube 8 on the lead 32 are connected to a video outputbus 33 via relay contact 35. The amount of time delay in the one waydash-Dot relay may be adjusted to permit the film camera i to come up tospeed before the television camera S is permitted to supply outputsignals to the television transmitter.

It will be seen that relay power is supplied to the contact arm 34 thatis located between the switching contacts 36 and 38. In the positionshown, that is in the position wherein camera 2 was not operating, thearm 34 is in Contact with the switching contact 3G, so that relay powerilows to ground through the coils 23 and via contact 31' of the switchZGA. This circuit connection therefore holds the relay ZE'A in 'theposition shown or, in other words, in the condition wherein the studiocamera I is in operation. However, upon the actuation of the relay E,the switch arm 3d is brought into Contact lith the lower switch contact38. This interrupts the holding current flowing through the relay coils23 and 24 and therefore the relay ZSA and iG'B immediately becomedeenergized and revert to a position opposite to that shown.

Each of the film cameras l! and i is supplied. with a mechanism to bedescribed later for recording cueing indicia on the nlm. 1n one eX-ample the means for providing this cueing indicia may be a counter,which is stepped forward one position for every operation of a ratchetarm. When the relay 26B is actuated and the switch4 arm 34 makes contactwith the lower contact the switching power is supplie to two First, itis supplied via a condenser 58, so as to close contacts 42 and d3 byenergizing a relay coil 4I. As soon as the condenser :it becomescharged, the current ceases to ilow and the switch contacts 42 and i3are again open. However, the momentary pulse of voltage, thus applied toa cueing signal bus 44, is thus applied to each of the film cameras 4and I as well as to the cueing circuits to be described in detail laterin connccu tion with the sound recorder 46.

Secondly, the actuation of the relay 2E-B and the closing of the controlarm 34 onto the switch contact 38 also supplies relay power via a lead47 through the indicating light 48 that is to indicate that the camera 2is in action.

The relays 26A and 26B are held in a closed or energized position by thecontact between the switch arm Sii and the con-tact k36 of the relayRtB.

All the video signals formed by the cameras are supplied to anon-the-air picture monitor Eil. All of the audio signals generated bythe microphone 3 are passed through an audio control panel il beiorebeing applied to the sound recorder e6.

Figure 2 is a schematic arrangement showing different views of thegeneral manner in which cueing indicia may be imprinted on the edge ofthe photographic lm. A side View ci a reeder type counter 53 is shown inthe upper portion of the drawing, a top view in the middle portion, anda projected view in the lower portion. A lens isili is placed betweenthe counter and the film 56 so as to focus the numbers appearing on thecounter onto the edge of the nlm. Of course, it is possible thatarrangements might be made to place these numbers in between frames onthe film but preferably they are located on the side opposite thesprocket holes 5l or between sprocket holes. Between the counter 53 andthe lens 5t is located a shutter 53, which is arranged to cut o thelight ycoming from the counter when the film te is moving and thusprevent the numbers imprinted on the edge of the film from becomingblurred. Although it is possible to illuminate the counter externally,it is convenient to illuminate the counter from the inside with a lamp5e and make the barrel te containing the numbers oi' the countertransparent. rihe numbers can be etched on the barrel 5G so as to betransparent or can be inked on so as to be opaque. This shutter 5t couldbe separate from that used in the picture recording section of thecamera, but, as will be seen from a discussion of ligure 3, it ispossible to use the main camera shutter.

Figure 3 illustrates the details of one way in which the cueing indicianumbers may be imprinted on the edge of the lrn as discussed inconnection with Figure 2. The structure described immediately below iswell known to those skilled in the art and variations may exist thereinwithout affecting the operation of this invention. They are described soas to give a proper setting for the invention. The lens system of thecamera is contained within a lens barrel 5i, which is threaded to thelens mount t2. The lens mount is secured in turn to the camera body teso that images projected by the lens system are passed through anopening te' therein. Passage of light through this opening is controlledby a shutter et. Film el is intermittently moved past the opening in thegate S8 by a conventional camera intermittent mechanism. Film is held inthe gate with a pressure pad te in the conventional manner.

In order to carry out one feature of this inven tion, however, a hole ilis cut in the side of the lens mount S2 and a mirror l2 is placed atsuch an angle with respect to the axis of the holev 'ii so as to directlight emerging from the hole onto the lower edge of the nlm t?. Acanister 'i3 having an opening 'M therein is secured to the lens mount$2 in such fashion that the openings 'irl and il coincide. A counter 'itof the type described above in connection with 1riigure 2 is mounted sothat an image of the numbers on the counter may be projected by lenses'il and le onto the mirror l2. lThe counter is tripped or actuated so asto advance one digit by a relay ll. In order to prevent light from themain lens system of the camera from impinging upon the edge of the filmwhere the cueing indicia is to be printed, a shield 3| is placed betweenthe mirror 'l2 and the shutter V66. It will be noted that the shutter t6is of sufcient radius to extend between the lower edge of the lm 67 andthe light ernerging from the `mirror l2. In this way, a recording ismade of the counter reading only when the lrn is stationary within thelm gate t8.

Figures 4 and 4A illustrate in further detail the sound recorder it ofFigure 1. The sound lm 33 having a sound track area Srl is continuouslydrawn past any standard type of sound recording head 85. Between thesound track area Se and the sprocket holes 8'! is located a means t8 forprinting a cueing indicia onto the central portion of the lm. This meansmay include a counter Se, an electro magnetic relay 9i for actuating andadvancing the counter 89 and a shutter 92. As will be seen in thedrawing 4A, the shutter s2 may be located between a lens system 93 andthe nlm t3. Normally, the film 83 is moving continuously and thereforethe action of the shutter 92 is such as to permit an image from thecounter et to be projected onto the nlm during such short intervals thatno noticeable or objectionable blurring of the numerals will occur.

It is of course apparent that the shutter 92 could be excluded, if atriggered light were placed inside the counter (ifi. In such anarrangement the duration of each ash of light would be so short as topractically stop the motion of the iilm and could be actuated inresponse to or in synchronisrn with the motion of the lm gates in thephotographic cameras of Figure 1. It is preferable that arrangements bemade for synchronizing the shutter Q2 in such a way that an image of thecounter appe rs on the sound nlm t3 at a point opposite each sprockethole 8l. It is believed that arrangements for accomplishing this arewell known to those skilled in the art. For example, in a photographiccamera, the shutter is obviously carefully synchronized with the motionof the film so that the frames are placed in the same position withrespect to the sprocket holes. The only distinction here is that theopen portion of the shutter 92 is smaller than that employed in thephotographic cameras.

If, on the other hand, an intermittently ilashing light is employed, thelight can be triggered oif in synchronism with the iilrn gate te of Figure 3.

yFigure 5 illustrates typical examples of both sound and picture filmthat may be obtained through the use of the equipment described above.The sound is recorded on a strip in the sound track area et w ich inthis particular instance is shown on the edge of the nlm opposite thesprocket holes 9i.

As discussed above an image of the counter 8f3 is recorded on the filmsii opposite every sprocket hole el. One number is employed per pictureframe on i6 mm. On 35 one per three sprocket holes is employed.Therefore, it will noticedL in the example shown that in the top sectionof the iilm the counter registered the numeral li. It then changed to anumeral. ill. As indicated by the arrow 98, the actual transfer from onecamera to another takes piace at the sprocket hole lying intermediatethe numerals i i and Assume that iilrn strip iid is taken from camera iand that film strip iti is taken from 2 and further that camera i isoperating and it is desired to switch to camera 2. The nlm sequence libeing taken by camera i as indicated by the numeral in the lefthand edgeof the film strip 99. During this time, the lm in camera 2 is stationaryand therefore a frame I02 that is within the gate becomes fogged asindicated. Assume now that the on-the-air button Il of Figure l isclosed so as to initiate the sequence of operations discussed inconnection with that figure at a time indicated by an arrow I 03. Theactual switching operation from studio camera I to studio camera 2 doesnot take place in this illustrated example until the film has moved adistance lying between the single arrow |03 and the double arrows IIl.It will be noted that at this point the camera I slows down and nnallystops with a frame IUS in the gate. It will be further noticed that thefilm indicia is changed from II to I2 on the frame occurring immediatelyafter the actual switching operation indicated by the double arrowsIGII. From that point on, numerals I2 are printed on the lefthand edgeof the film. Suppose now that it is desired to switch back from camera 2to camera I. The operation of the camera I on-the-air switch takes placeat a time indicated by an arrow IEJ'I', but, as before, the actualswitch from one camera to another does not take place until sometimelater as indicated by arrows m8. The first frame following the arrows|08 is numbered I3 on lm strip ISI and the next frame 89 is fogged asthe nlm in the camera 2 again comes to a rest position in the gate.Turning now to the film strip 99 that is in camera I, the fra-me I I Iis still indicated by a numeral I2 as it corresponds to the frame II2 ofthe film strip Il in camera 2. However, by the time the arrow |08 isreached, the actual switching back to camera I is accomplished and theframe H3 is the first frame in the new sequence.

As noted above in connection with the discussion of Figures l, 4, and4A, the changing of the cueing indicia on the sound iihn 94 took placeat precisely the same time as the actual switch from one camera toanother. Therefore, in going from sequence II to sequence I2, the actualswitching operation from camera I to camera 2 took place at a pointindicated by the arrows Hifi. Therefore, it will be noted thatl theframe on the upper side of the arrow is numbered II and the frame on thelower side of the arrow is numbered I2. Similarly, the number on thesound film 94, that is above the arrow 98, is II and the numberimmediately below the arrow 98 is I2. Therefore, these arrows indicatethe points where splicing should be accomplished. The fogged frame |92and the frame immediately following it are cut out of the photographicrecord as they are not a true recording. In this way, the additionalframes required for the cameras to come up to speed are drawn away andthe photographic film and the sound lm can be exactly synchronized. Aswas pointed out previously, the error due to leaving in one of theseextra frames in the photographic film would not amount to much, but theaccumulated error after several switching actions from one studio camerato another would become highly objectionable.

Figure 6 illustrates the manner in which a photographic recording cameraand a television pick-up tube may be combined to form a studio camera.Instead of having single lenses, as shown in Figure 1, a lens turret canbe mounted on the front of the lm camera and the television p-ickuptube. The synchronous operation of these lens turrets can be obtained byplacing sprockets in the usual periphery of the turret and connectingthem with a chain as shown in Figure 7.

If each of the corresponding lenses in the turret had the same focallength, the motion of the nlm and the sensitive target of the pick-uptube With respect to the lens would be uniform. Normally, the focallengths of the desired lenses will not be the same and, therefore, infocusing the image on the lm of the photographic camera and onto thesensitive target of the television pick-up tube a relative motion mustbe imparted between the film camera and the pick-up tube. The filmcamera IB'I may be restricted to motion along the principal axis of theparticular lens that is in position. Similarly, the television pick-uptube is restricted to longitudinal motion along the principal axis of alens that is in position. If a bell crank I08 is pivoted at a point |09lying in the principal axis of the film camera, an end I II of one armof the bell crank |08 is restricted to move in a slot II2 that isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the television pick-up tube.The end II3 of the other arm of the bell crank |08 is restricted tolight in a curve slot II4 that is diagonal to the principal axis of thehn camera ID'I. In this way, depending upon the angle that the slot I I4makes with the principal axis of the film camera IG'I and also upon therelative lengths of the arms of the bell crank, the film camera is movedforward and back with respect to the lens turret by a less amount thanis the television pick-up tube. If the relation between the focallengths of the corresponding lenses on a lens turret are constant,perfect tracking may be achieved by an arrangement as just described. Ifonly one pair of lenses with different focal lengths were used, thelinkage just described could be made to give perfect tracking so as tokeep the image in proper focus. When different pairs of lenses havedifferently related focal lengths, satisfactory tracking can be obtainedby suitably curving one or both of the slots II I and I I4. When,however, the turrets carry more than one pair of corresponding lenses,each having different focal lengths, a compromise must be reachedbetween the tracking curves of the different pairs of lenses. This,however, is not a serious consideration as the depth of the field of thelenses will cover some of the error. The foregoing lens focusing may beaccomplished by other means obvious to those skilled in the art,servomechanisms etc.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for making a photographic recording of television programscomprising in combination a plurality of studio cameras, each of saidstudio cameras comprising in combination a photographic camera and atelevision pick-up tube, switching apparatus adapted to automaticallyset one photographic camera in operation and the other photographiccamera out of operation, a video signal output bus, automatic switchingmeans responsive to said switching apparatus for connecting the videosignal output of the corresponding television pick-up tube to said out-Dut bus at a time subsequent to the start of operation of saidphotographic camera, a proiector adapted to project an image of a cueingindicia onto a normally unexposed portion of the photographic film insaid photographic camera, and switching means for changing the cueingindicia each time the output of the television pickup is connected tothe video signal output bus.

2. Apparatus for making a photographic record of a television programcomprising in combination a plurality of studio cameras, each of saidstudio cameras comprising a. photographic camera and a televisionpick-up tube, automatic switching apparatus for selectively renderingone said photographic camera and its associated television pick-up tubeoperative at successive intervals of time so that the photographiccamera is up to normal speed when the video signals from said pick-uptube are applied to a common video output bus.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 2' in which said switching apparatusautomatically renders inoperative all the photographic cameras andtelevision pick-up tubes except those selected.

4. Apparatus for optically and acoustically recording a televisionprogram comprising in combination, a studio camera comprised of aphotographic camera and a television pick-up tube, said photographiccamera being equipped with means for recording cueing indicia onto eachframe of the picture lm in said photographic camera, a sound recorderadapted to record sound on a sound iilm, said sound recorder beingequipped with means for recording cueing indicia onto said sound film atthe same time it is recorded on the picture film, a television pickuptube switching means for automatically selecting video signals from saidtube and responsive to camera normal speed.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 in which means are provided forchanging said indicia when said television pick-up tube is urged from aninoperative to an operative position.

6. A studio camera comprising in combination a photographic camera and atelevision pick-up tube, a rst switch for energizing said photographiccamera, a second switch adapted to operate after said rst switch, saidsecond switch being connected so as to conduct the video signalsdeveloped by said television pick-up tube to an output bus, a counter,means for illumination of said counter and an optical means forprojecting light from said counter onto the lin in said photographiccamera, a relay attached so as to advance said counter in response tothe operation of said second switch.

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